What Nonpsychiatrists Want From Psychiatrists: Data From Chart Review Consultation Requests in a Rural Health Care System

What is it about?

Psychiatric conditions are frequently diagnosed and treated in the outpatient primary care setting by clinicians other than psychiatrists. In this study, we describe an electronic consult service that allows non-psychiatrists to submit patient questions to the psychiatry department. We found that this service was rarely used to ask about diagnostic decisions, but frequently used to ask about psychiatric medications in the context of psychiatric symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and others.

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Why is it important?

American Psychiatric Association Editor, Lisa Dixon, M.D., M.P.H. (Editor, Psychiatric Services) explains: "Perhaps giving the primary care providers what they want could enable the whole system to be more efficient and effective."